


The First

by PsychoGenius



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Blood, Mark Fischbach - Freeform, Mark Fischbach Egos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:40:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21874558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PsychoGenius/pseuds/PsychoGenius
Summary: The prisoner should’ve been an obvious first choice, what with his popularity amongst the fans, but there were too many people constantly around him. The Actor couldn’t take him without someone noticing.The Captain was the same problem. His crew would notice immediately. As powerful as the Actor was, he didn’t think that he quite had the strength to remove the Captain from his extremely loyal shipmates.The adventurer however…He was completely alone.So, the Actor made his decision. The adventurer known as Illinois, would be the first.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

It surprised the Actor. He would’ve thought that Dark would have gathered them all up by now. But no, they were still there in their respective environments. Undisturbed.

They had no idea what they were actually a part of.

For once the Actor had the upper hand. He could get to them before Dark. But he would have to act quick. There was always the possibility that he couldn’t get to all three.

So which one first?

The prisoner should’ve been an obvious first choice, what with his popularity amongst the fans, but there were too many people constantly around him. The Actor couldn’t take him without someone noticing.

The Captain was the same problem. His crew would notice immediately. As powerful as the Actor was, he didn’t think that he quite had the strength to remove the Captain from his extremely loyal shipmates.

The adventurer however...

He was completely alone.

So, the Actor made his decision. The adventurer known as Illinois, would be the first.

It didn’t take too long to get to the abandoned temple that Illinois was exploring. The entities that shared the same body as the Actor knew of many legendary sites. They narrowed down the possibilities quite quickly.

The Actor calmly walked through the twists and turns of the temple, fearing none of the traps. The demonic voices in his head told him where to go, and when to dodge.

After he crossed over the spikes he heard him. Illinois was talking aloud. The Actor quickly followed his voice, stopping at the entryway to a large room.

Illinois was reading the markings on the wall, interpreting them.

The Actor smiled. “Illinois! How great to finally meet you!”

Illinois spun around on his heels, his hand gripping the whip at his side. “Who are you? How did you find this place?” His eyes zoned in on the Actor’s suit, and his hold on the whip tightened.

Huh, he seemed to not really trust men in suits. He would have had a hard time with Dark as well.

“Now, now, no need to get so defensive. I’m not here for any artifacts, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

Illinois rolled his eyes, a small, challenging smile spreading over his face. “Ah, so you just happened to find this extremely hidden temple? And you know my name?“

“Well I know lots of things!”

Illinois laughed. “So you came here for no reason?”

“Well I wouldn’t say no reason. I came here to find you.”

Illinois tilted his head. “And why’s that?”

“It might seem strange, but I’m a friend!” The Actor took a step forward. “You’re part of something fantastic! A family of, egos? I believe that’s what they refer to us as.”

Shifting, Illinois dropped his smirk, instead looking concerned. “Are you... all there? Do you need help?”

“I do need help! Well, not the help you’re thinking of, but I need you to come with me. There are a few old friends of mine that seem to have lost sight of the bigger picture, and I need to round a few of you up so that we can work together and put them back on the right path!” The Actor stuck his hand out, as if expecting a handshake.

“What do you say?”

Illinois looked down at the Actor’s hand, but he didn’t take it. “Look, I can help you get out of the cave, maybe we can find you some help.”

The Actor’s smile widened. “That’s not the right answer.”

Illinois looked up. “Excuse me?”

The Actor’s smile got even bigger, to the point where he didn’t look human.

It’s not like he really was human anymore.

Illinois didn’t quite know that, however.

“What the-“ He backed up into the wall, pulling his whip out.

The Actor laughed. “That won’t do much to help you.”

A wave of pain rocketed through Illinois’s skull. He gasped and fell to his knees, clutching his head.

The Actor walked forward. “Does it feel like your head is getting bashed in?”

Illinois tried to push himself up, but another wave of pain hit him. He hunched in on himself, groaning.

“It feels like someone is slamming a blunt object into your skull at full force, right? You can feel the blood dripping down your face, the dizziness as your vision darkens. That’s just one death you managed to escape.”

Illinois forced his head up. His expression was a mix of both pain and confusion.

“Aw, you still don’t understand. It’s alright, I can help make this even clearer.” The Actor tilted his head to the side, black ooze pouring out of his far-too-wide mouth.

And then the pain got worse.

Illinois screamed, crumpling in on himself. He felt knives stab into his chest. He felt a bullet wedge its way into his stomach. He felt his entire body get crushed under a large weight. He felt his lungs fill with water. Death after death flashed in his mind.

And he experienced all of them.

Every.

Single.

One.

The Actor knelt down and placed a hand underneath Illinois’s chin, tilting his face up.

Illinois’s eyes were wide and glazed over. Too much was happening to him all at once.

“What you’re feeling right now, is every single death that you’ve narrowly avoided during your time as an adventurer here.” The Actor sighed. “I imagine that you want it to stop?”

Illinois nodded as he choked back a sob at the next onslaught of excruciating pain.

“First promise me you’ll play your part.”

“W-what?” Illinois’s voice came out hoarse.

“Promise me you’ll play your part.”

Illinois coughed, pulling away from the Actor in an attempt to curl into a ball and shield himself from the pain.

Growling, the Actor knocked Illinois’s hat off and grabbed him by the hair, yanking his head upward.

“Say it.” The Actor hummed, still smiling as he stared Illinois directly in the eyes. “I need you to say it.”

Illinois hugged his abdomen, staring into the Actor’s eyes with fear.

“I’ll play my part...”

And just like that, the pain vanished. Illinois gasped as the Actor let go of his hair, letting him slump forward.

The Actor laughed, standing up. Illinois wearily looked up at him, fear getting caught in his throat once again.

His eyes were completely blackened out, and his smile had stretched from ear to ear.

Illinois shakily stood up, backing into the wall.

The Actor tilted his head to the side as little voices echoed from around the room. Illinois looked around frantically as they got louder, closer. It got to the point where they sounded like they were coming from within his own mind.

“Shut up! Shut, up!” Illinois covered his ears.

A cold feeling ran over him, quickly seeping through his skin. It felt wrong. It felt very, very wrong.

But he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

It only took a few moments for the cold to make its way to his heart, to his mind. It only took a few moments for his entire body to numb.

It only took a few moments for him to be completely under the Actor’s control.

Illinois slowly removed his hands and let them drop to his sides.

The Actor walked out of the temple, Illinois following obediently, every ounce of life gone from his eyes.

“I’m glad I was able to meet you, Illinois. After all, every hero needs a sidekick.”


	2. The Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Illinois and the Actor arrive at the Manor.

The Manor looked disgusting from the outside. Broken windows, cracked stone, burnt wood. The unkempt lawn only added to the look of abandonment. Despite this, the Actor walked up the ruined Manor steps with a bright smile on his face.

“Home sweet home! Do wipe your feet on the welcome mat Illinois, the butler will have my head if I make a mess in here again.” He chuckled, although his smile disappeared for a brief moment. It reappeared just as quickly though when he opened the door to the Manor.

“After you...” He gestured to the doorway, smiling at his new ‘guest.’

Illinois walked inside, not by choice of course, but it wasn’t like he could really fight back. He could barely feel much in his body in this state. As his foot crossed the doorway, however, he did manage to feel a strange chill pass over his skin.

It lingered longer than it should have.

The interior of the Manor matched the exterior. Black mold grew along the walls and ceilings, and the floor seemed to be stained in brownish-red splotches. To top it all off, an odor of death permeated the air, making Illinois nauseous.

The Actor stepped into the Manor, shutting the door behind himself. “Damn, this always happens when I’m gone for too long.” He tilted his head, squinting his eyes.

The ground started to shake. The mold retreated as the wallpaper began to look more vibrant in color. The stains on the floor seemed to vanish instantly. Even the odor faded away with each second.

It was only a matter of minutes before the manor was restored into what must have been its original state. The Actor beamed, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. “Come on! You must be starving. I can have the chef fix us up something in the kitchen.” Again, a brief moment of sadness passed over the Actor’s face, but it passed.

Illinois said nothing, staring ahead.

“Ah, that’s right, hold on.” The Actor relaxed his shoulders, and Illinois tensed, feeling control over his limbs again.

“There we go. Now, why don’t I show you-“

Illinois’s fist swung into the Actor’s cheek, snapping his head to the side. He ran to the door, determination fueling his veins.

_He needed to get the hell out of there._

As soon as Illinois reached his hand for the door handle, his body froze in place. He grunted, trying to wiggle his fingers, do _something_ , but there was no give.

“Just because I gave you free will doesn’t mean I can’t take it away.”

Illinois’s body started to move without his consent. He turned away from the door, facing the Actor.

There was a small bruise starting to form on his jawline from where Illinois had punched him. And his smile was long gone.

“I want to trust you Illinois, because I really do think we can be friends. But I can’t have you betraying me like this.” He tilted his head and walked towards Illinois, stopping a foot away.

“I control you right now. From your head to your toes. Including your heart-“

Illinois’s heartbeat picked up its pace.

“-and your _lungs_.”

Just as he finished his sentence, Illinois’s chest became tight. He tried to take a breath, but the air wasn’t getting into his body.

“You wouldn’t be able to stop me. I could keep this going until you ran out of oxygen. You could die here.” The smile came back, twisted and menacing.

Illinois’s lungs were on fire. He needed to breathe. _Let him breathe. Let him breathe. Let him breathe-_

The Actor leaned forward, uncomfortably close.

“But I’m not heartless.” The feeling returned to Illinois’s body, and he gasped, stumbling backwards.

“Why don’t I show you around?”

The same, cheesy smile, as if he wasn’t holding Illinois’s life on a thread.

Illinois clenched his fists.

“Illinois?” The Actor asked.

_There wasn’t really a choice._ Taking a deep breath, Illinois nodded.

The Actor beamed. “Wonderful!” He lead the way, Illinois following not too far behind.

“I think you’ll love the collection of things I’ve gathered over the years. I have these lovely old paintings, some gorgeous jewels...”

The Actor rambled on. Illinois listened passively, giving input when prompted, but he wasn’t really paying attention. He was counting the windows, the doors, the ways he could escape. He would just fight his way out but, the Actor wasn’t human, that was for sure.

Maybe Illinois could find a moment to himself, away from... whatever this guy was. Then he could look for a way out.

“...and here is where you’ll be staying!” The Actor beamed, gesturing to a room.

Illinois took a step towards it, glancing inside. It was large, and luxurious. Not necessarily Illinois’s style but, it was nice. 

Illinois looked down the hall, noticing the many rooms further down.

“There are other people here?”

The Actor laughed. “Not yet. But you’re going to help me change that.”

Illinois turned around. “What?”

“You see, I can’t stay away from my home for long, it tends to let itself go without someone inside to care for it. I need to be able to stay here, but I also need to bring some more friends. You’re absolutely wonderful, Illinois, but I am a people person!” The Actor placed a hand on Illinois’s shoulder, causing him to tense.

“So, my idea is that I’ll stay here with the Manor, and you can go and bring a few new friends to me.”

“What!” Illinois pulled away from the Actor. “No! I’m not helping you do this!”

“They’ll love it here! And so will you.” The Actor laughed as black sludge started to drip from his mouth. “Besides, I’m doing you a favor.”

A huge wave of pain hit Illinois directly in the skull. He screamed, clutching his head as he fell to his knees. It somehow hurt even worse than when he was in the temple.

“I could go out and get them myself and leave you to the Manor. Leave you alone to the cold, the whispers, the pain. I can handle it now, but you...” 

He leaned down, pulling Illinois by the hair and looking him in the eyes. 

“...you’re fresh meat to this place. It’ll eat you alive and leave practically nothing behind. You can take my word on that.”

The Actor let go of Illinois’s hair, letting him slouch in on himself. “So, why don’t we head down to dinner, and I’ll tell you where I’ll be sending you.” 

Illinois glared at the Actor, The pain had worsened, causing his vision to go blurry. Still, he tried to focus his eyes on the Actor’s face with absolute hatred. 

“Fuck you...”

The Actor sighed before flicking his wrist.

The pain stopped for a brief moment before coming back full force, this time concentrated right behind Illinois’s eyes. He cried out, tears falling down his face and dripping to the floor.

His heart practically stopped when he saw that the tears were red.

“What did you do?!” Illinois scrunched his eyes shut, slamming the palms of his hands over them.

“Teaching you some manners, of course! Now if you want to stop bleeding out, I would suggest you apologize to me.”

“No!”

“What was that?” 

Pain hit Illinois directly in the chest, and he coughed. Blood splattered onto the floor.

“I-I-” 

“Enunciate your words, dear.”

Illinois gasped, trying to tilt his head downwards so that he wouldn’t choke on the blood. “I’m sor-”

“Look someone in the eyes when you talk to them.”

It felt like Illinois had gotten a punch to the nose. He yelped as blood dribbled down his chin.

“Illinois...”

Illinois forced his head up, feeling the blood trickle into the back of his throat. 

_Gross._

“I-I’m sorry.” He coughed, struggling to breathe.

“Thank you Illinois.”

The pain vanished, and he stopped bleeding. Illinois gasped as he hugged his torso, nearly on the verge of vomiting. His body tensed as soon as he felt the Actor’s hand on his face, but he didn’t pull away.

The Actor smiled, wiping some of the blood away.

“See, that wasn’t so hard. Let’s hope that Yancy is a bit more polite though. I wouldn’t want to have to do this again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Illinois do be suffering tho


	3. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dark becomes suspicious after he is unable to find Illinois, meanwhile the Actor gets ready to collect another ego.

_Hm._

Dark stared down at the hat in front of his feet, arms clasped behind his back.

_Illinois was supposed to be there._

Confused, Dark let his eyes roam the walls of the temple, the blue in his aura flitting about while the red stayed close to his figure.

It didn’t make sense.

Dark had heard from a few vendors in a nearby village that a man had been looking for this very ruin. The description matched Illinois perfectly, down to the very hat that was lying on the ground, its owner nowhere in sight.

Sighing, Dark picked up the hat, forcing the blue of his aura back down to his body. It didn’t fully relax, still jumping out in frustration.

_Something isn’t right here._

Dark decided to head further into the temple, just to be sure Illinois wasn’t somewhere inside...

———————————————-

“Get up.”

Illinois slowly opened his eyes, tired from a very restless night. When he saw the Actor staring down at him from the side of the bed, he nudged himself further away.

After practically bleeding out on the floor last night, Illinois was allowed to get some rest. He had buried himself in the covers of his new bed as soon as the Actor had left, like a child trying to hide from imaginary monsters.

Except Illinois was an adult, and this monster was very real.

“I said, get up.” Actor’s smile was once again plastered on his face, complimenting his cold eyes.

Illinois threw the blankets off of himself, stepping out of the bed as he messed with his hair. He still wasn’t used to the fact that he no longer had his hat. He felt naked without it.

Actor yanked the blanket fully off of the bed, his smile turning into a grimace. “There’s blood all over the sheets.”

Illinois stared down at the floor, mumbling. “That tends to happen when you’re covered in blood...”

“I would have expected you to at least take a bath before ruining my sheets.” Actor sighed, forcing the smile back on his face once more. “I’ll take care of it when you’re gone.”

Illinois squinted his eyes. “Gone?”

“I’m sending you to retrieve another a friend today. I’m sure you’ll get along with him just fine.” Actor pointed at bathroom connected to Illinois’s room.

“Go clean yourself up. I’ll bring you up some new clothes.”

Illinois sighed and walked into the bathroom. Once inside he shut the door behind himself, double-checking to make sure it was locked.

After a long shower, Illinois had successfully scrubbed the blood off of his skin. He felt more alert as well, which was always a bonus. None of that really quelled the dread that had been building up in him since he had woken.

He didn’t want to be a part of any of this. Having to lead more people to the Actor, it made him feel disgusting.

He needed a way out.

After wrapping a towel around his waist, Illinois stepped out of the bathroom, sighing in relief when he saw that the Actor wasn’t in his bedroom. There were some clothes sitting on the bed, however.

Illinois walked over, tilting his head as he stared down at the clothes.

A white t-shirt, and a black and white striped jail outfit, including pants and a long sleeve shirt.

_...alright._

Illinois slipped the clothes on, ultimately confused about them. He stepped out of the room, rolling up the sleeves on the striped shirt as he looked around.

“Ah! You’re ready, good.” Actor beamed as he looked Illinois over. “We can head over then.” He gestured for Illinois to follow him as he walked down the hall.

They walked throughout the house, exiting through the front door. A black limousine was sitting outside, and Illinois felt the urge to try and run ahead of the Actor in an attempt to get in the car and leave himself.

Unfortunately, the familiar numbness took over his body as soon as he had taken a step forward. Once again, his body was Actor’s to control.

Actor opened up the passenger side of the limousine, and Illinois stepped inside, sitting down with glazed eyes as he practically screamed in his head. He waited as the Actor went around to the other side, opening the door to hop in and sit next to him

Illinois stared ahead at the little window near the front of the limousine, allowing them to see the driver. They looked fairly normal, somewhat of an older man, possibly in his fifties, but Illinois wondered who would work for the Actor.

Although, Illinois had met a lot of well-staffed crooks on his adventures. Most of the time they were getting paid just enough to not care. So it wasn’t too surprising to see someone working for a literal monster.

The car started to leave the Manor, and Illinois stayed occupied with his own thoughts as they left to find their destination.

—————————————————

Dark walked into the house, staring down at the hat in his hands, thinking.

“You’re back late,” Dr. Iplier remarked from the living room. He was sitting on the couch next to one of the Jims, bandaging an arm. The other twin was sitting on the floor next to his brother, recording everything with his camera.

“What happened, did you get chased by a boulder?”

“He wasn’t there.” Dark walked further into the living room, tearing his eyes away from the hat to look at the doctor. “At least, he wasn’t there when I arrived. But I know he _was_ there.” He pointed at Illinois’s hat.

Dr. Iplier frowned. “Why would he leave that behind?” He finished bandaging Jim’s arm and immediately waved the twins off, focusing his attention on Dark.

“I don’t know.” Dark cracked his neck, the blue in his aura rising somewhat. “Something doesn’t seem right.”

“I mean, it doesn’t have to be bad. He could have just dropped it while doing some Indiana-Jones type stuff. Or maybe he found out you were coming and tried to throw you off. Not all of us were easy to find. Some of us didn’t want to be found, remember? Didn’t you have to chase King through the woods? Maybe Illinois is just one of the harder ones to track.”

“I still don’t like it.” Dark could have accepted the answer if it weren’t for the fact that Illinois’s hat was left behind. Something about that just didn’t sit right with him.

Dr. Iplier sighed. “Well, maybe you can go get Yancy instead. He’s stuck in one place. You’re guaranteed to find him.”

Dark nodded, although he still didn’t seem to take his mind completely off of Illinois. “Yes, I suppose I can head over there. I’ll need Google so that we can disable the security cameras.”

“He’s out with Bing. You’ll probably have to wait.”

“Alright.” Dark looked down at the hat once more before sighing and heading to the kitchen for some coffee.

He was probably being paranoid.

Probably.

———————————————

Finally, the limo pulled up to the gate of what honestly looked like a prison. A big, blocky gray building with a high fence. Illinois narrowed his eyes, reading the sign on the metal fence.

‘Happy Trails Penitentiary.’

Ah, so definitely a prison.

A man was sitting in a booth outside the gate, straightening up when he saw the limo. Without a second glance, he hit a button that started to open the gate. He didn’t even come out to check who was in the car.

Illinois frowned, turning to Actor, who was _kind enough_ to give him back control over his body during the ride. “He just, let us in?”

Actor smiled. “I may have been by here before to set things up for us.” He didn’t elaborate.

Illinois stared out the limo window as they drove in, noticing how utterly terrified the man inside the booth was.

“Now, we’re going to stop a little ways from the building, and two men are going to escort you inside. You’re a new prisoner here.” Actor paused to stare out the window for a moment before returning his attention to Illinois.

“You’re going to find another prisoner named Yancy. You are going to befriend him, which won’t be hard. He’s quick to welcome the newer prisoners. Then, you’re going to get him to break you out later tonight.”

“What? Wait, how can he break me out in one night? That sounds like something you need to plan-“

“He’s done it before. And he’ll do it again for you.”

“If he knows how to break out then why is he still here-“

_“He just doesn’t want to leave, alright?!”_ Actor’s eyes briefly flashed black, and Illinois shoved himself against the side of the car, mind going back to the previous night.

Actor sighed, rubbing his temples. “I hate being away from home..”

Illinois nodded, saying nothing.

The limousine stopped in front of the main entrance to the building.

“Get him to break you out tonight, and I’ll take care of the rest. If you even _think_ about trying to deviate from the plan, you will _suffer_ for it.” The door to Illinois’s side of the limo opened up, and a man yanked the adventurer out of the car.

_“Ow.”_ Illinois shifted under the guard’s grip as he was lead to the building. He glanced behind himself to see Actor talking to the other guard, handing him something- _cash?_

Illinois wasn’t able to see anymore before he was pushed through the doors of the prison building.


	4. The Prisoner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Illinois meets Yancy.

After getting through security and talking to the warden _(what kind of a name was Murderslaughter?)_ Illinois had been sent with one of the guards to find his room. As they walked down the hall of cells, Illinois forced himself to keep his head up, despite the urge to shrink in on himself.

He was not about to let Actor take away his confidence, something he considered a core part of his personality. Even if he was still freaking out over the fact that in just one day with the Actor he‘s gotten closer to death than the years he’s spent adventuring, he was _not_ going to curl up into a ball on the floor.

_The absolute worst pep talk he has given himself yet._

But! He still had this head up, so that was something.

The guard stopped in front of a cell, gesturing for Illinois to go in. “There‘s a fight between some of the prisoners going on right now, so we’re sending everyone back to their cells. You’ll be in here by yourself until your cell mate gets sent back with everyone else.”

Illinois nodded before stepping inside. The door was shut before the guard left, presumably to go stop the fight.

_His cell mate..._ Illinois had a hunch that it was Yancy. Actor seemed to pull enough strings at this place that he wouldn’t be surprised. Although, that did raise the question as to why Actor hadn’t just gotten Yancy out himself. He seemed to have a little network in place for him here, he probably could have had some guards smuggle Yancy out.

_So why didn’t he?_

Illinois pondered some more to himself as he looked around the room. There was a bunk bed and a small nightstand, but not much else. He looked closer at the bunk bed, noticing something sticking out underneath the pillow of the top bunk.

_Maybe he could find out more about Yancy. If that’s who is his cell mate, anyway._ Illinois walked over to the bunk bed, reaching underneath the top pillow to pull out whatever was hiding underneath it.

There appeared to be a few objects.

Illinois pulled the first one out. It was a small notebook, a worn out one at that. He opened it up, finding poems- wait no, there were key signatures written- _songs?_ Illinois flipped through the pages, reading various song lyrics with little notes for how it should be sung.

_So, Yancy seemed to like music._ Illinois put the notebook down on the bottom bunk, reaching back at the top bunk immediately after.

There were only two small objects left, so Illinois pulled them both out. One was a pen, presumably for the notebook, and the other was a folded up piece of paper. Illinois unfolded the paper, staring at a photo of a woman and a man. It seemed pretty old, it was worn at the edges. It felt really personal.

“Alright! Shut up, into your cells!”

_They’re coming._ Illinois folded the picture back up and shoved it back under the pillow. He quickly moved the pen and notebook back as well, going to sit on the bottom bunk and wait.

Various prisoners were moved past Illinois’s cell into their own. Many of them were shouting back at each other, and one had even tried to hit a guard. They were quickly subdued however, and shoved into their cells.

Finally, a guard opened Illinois’s cell, causing the other to straighten up. “Get in.”

A prisoner walked in, eyes narrowing when he saw Illinois.

He had slicked back hair and various tattoos on his neck, arm, and hands. He also had a busted lip, and what appeared to be a newly-formed black eye on his face.

The guard shut them in the cell, walking away to help with the other prisoners.

The prisoner crossed his arms for a second, looking Illinois up and down. “So youse the newbie?”

_...what accent was that?_

“Yeah.” Illinois stood up. “My name’s Illinois.”

The prisoner’s frown turned into a smirk. “Like the state?”

Illinois rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah.” He chuckled.

“Well, s’not the weirdest name out there.” The prisoner pointed at himself. “I’m Yancy.”

_So Illinois was right_. “Yeah that’s weirder.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the the bunk bed, feeling more at ease than when he had first got there. “So, how bad was it?”

“Wha- oh.” Yancy brushed a thumb over his busted lip, narrowing his eyes at the little bit of blood that came off. “A little worse than usual, but I wasn’t trying to get into a fight with nobody. A couple of the guards started it.”

“Really?” Illinois shifted, thinking back to Actor.

“Yeah! We was all minding our business. Then one of those assholes started beating on one of the smaller inmates, Tiny.” Yancy huffed, looking pissed off just talking about it. “For no reason. Then this big guy, we call him Jimmy, he wasn’t taking that shit, so he gets all up in the guard’s face, and I forget who hit first, but we all got into it after that.” Yancy pointed at his face. “These were from the asshat who beat up Tiny, but trust me, he looks way worse.”

“They sound awful,” Illinois said, and he meant it. He was sure that the fight was started because of Actor. It made sense. The inmates were all forced to be in their cells now, which meant Illinois and Yancy had extra time to talk. It seemed to work out a little too well.

“Yeah, some of the guys working here are assholes. They get a fucking rise out of beating the shit out of people that can’t defend themselves. It’s why we look out for each other in here.” Yancy sighed, looking outside of the cell. “Probably won’t get to see the others for the rest of the day, ‘specially since I fucked up one of the guards.” He glanced over at Illinois. “They might let you out for a tour or something since you’re new.”

Illinois sincerely doubted that. “Maybe.” He ran a hand through his hair, once again hating the feeling of not having his hat.

Yancy seemed so... _nice_. Illinois was expecting at least a little hostility. It only made him feel worse about what he was sent here to do.

“So... Yancy, do you mind me asking what you’re in for?” Maybe Yancy was some type of serial killer. Illinois would feel at least a little bit better if that were the case.

“Ah,” Yancy scratched at his beard, shifting on his feet. “I uh, I killed my parents when I was around eighteen.”

Illinois’s eyes widened. “Oh...” His mind went back to the old photo underneath Yancy’s pillow.

“Yeah.” Yancy sighed before shaking his head and straightening up. “That’s all I’m saying ‘bout that.”

“That’s... fair.” There was definitely more to that, but Illinois didn’t want to push Yancy to talk.

“What about youse?” Yancy tilted his head, looking Illinois up and down. “Youse don’t seem like someone who would be able to maim a guy, but youse pretty boy types can be surprising.”

Illinois blinked, slightly thrown off by ‘ _pretty boy’_ , along with the fact he had to make something up. “I...” It wasn’t like it mattered what he said. Might as well say what was somewhat the truth so his conscience could be a little clean.

“...I got mixed up with a really bad person, who wanted me to do something bad, and he landed me here.”

Very vague, but it was true.

“I won’t pry, ‘specially since it seems like it was pretty recent for youse.” Yancy walked over to the bunk bed and hopped up onto the top one, grabbing his notebook out from under his pillow. “Youse been pretty nervous ever since I walked in.”

“Thanks, and I am.” Illinois sighed, closing his eyes. “I’m usually not like this.” Illinois messed with his hair absentmindedly.

Yancy didn’t say anything, although Illinois heard him start writing in his notebook. When Illinois opened his eyes and glanced back, he saw Yancy looking at him. It seemed like a silent invitation to go on.

“I’m usually out and about a lot, and I don’t really get nervous. Hell, my job had me doing all types of dangerous stuff, and I rarely felt like this. Full of adrenaline absolutely, sometimes a little scared, but nothing like...” Illinois paused.

“He’s just- I don’t know. I’ve met bad people before, and he’s just so much worse.” Illinois shifted. “I feel like I’m seconds away from him just ending it for me at all times. He has all this power over me.” He didn’t realize until just then how badly he needed to talk to someone. It took just one day of being around the Actor to break him so much, to the point where he didn’t feel like himself.

He hated it.

He hated it so much.

“Hey um,” Yancy shifted on the bed, having put his notebook to the side. “Youse alright?”

“No.” Illinois sat down on the bottom bunk. Yancy sounded _concerned_. It only made Illinois feel worse.

He couldn’t go through with this.

He _wouldn’t_ go through with this.

He didn’t want Yancy to deal with what he was dealing with, he didn’t think anyone should.

Yancy popped his head down from the top bunk, staring at Illinois. “I know we just met and all, but like, youse can talk to me. Youse don’t have to tell me if ya don’t wanna, but I’ll listen if youse want.”

Illinois sighed, putting his head in his hands. “You don’t have to do that.”

“No, but I want to. He sounds like a prick. Bet youse I could take ‘em.”

“I don’t think you can.”

“Just for that, I’ma knock his ass out for youse with one punch.”

Illinois chuckled, looking up at Yancy’s grinning face. “Really? One punch?”

Yancy nodded. “I’ll get someone to record it too.”

Illinois laughed. “I would actually love to see that.”

“If I ever see that asshole ‘round here, I’ll take care of ‘em.”

Illinois’s smile dropped. Actor was coming that night. Even if he didn’t go through with the plan, the Actor was still going to be at the penitentiary _that night._ Once the Actor realized that Illinois backed out on him, there was no telling what he would do to him.

But if Illinois wasn’t there-

_That’s it._

“Yancy, I need you to help me get out of here.”

“What?” Yancy frowned, hopping off the top bunk to stare at Illinois. “Look, I know I was talking shit about the guards, but this place ain’t that bad-“

“It’s not because of the prison.” Illinois leaned forward, lowering his voice. “That guy who got me in here, he knows I’m here, and he’s coming for me tonight.” Illinois gestured to the door of the cell. “He made sure that I would get a cell with you because he wanted me to get you to come with me.”

Yancy rolled his eyes. “Look, the warden ain’t gonna let nobody come after youse. And even if for some reason he _could_ , why didn’t he just get me earlier? If he was trying to get me to join his gang or whatever he probably would have come to me like through visiting hours or something.”

“It’s not a- look this guy has crooked guards all over this place. He’ll find a way to get to me.” Illinois shifted. “I think that for some reason, he needed me to get you? I don’t know why, but I figure that’s why he didn’t just get you himself, or have one of the people he pays to do it. But he’s not supposed to come until tonight. If you can get me out now, I can get far away from here, somewhere he won’t find me. That way he won’t be able to get to you, and I can finally get away from him.”

Yancy rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s a lot easier to get youse out at night.“

“But it’s not impossible to get me out now, right?” Illinois fidgeted with his hair again, noticing how it was starting to become a nervous habit of his. “Please, Yancy. This guy, he’s an actual monster. I need to get as far away from him as possible.”

Yancy was silent for a few moments, shifting his weight on his feet. “I uh, okay. I’ll do it. But youse gotta do something for me.”

“Anything.”

Yancy walked over to the nightstand, opening the drawer and pulling out a blindfold.

“Okay I know I said anything but-“

“Relax, I’m not gonna do anything weird to youse. I just don’t want other people knowing the way out. Just put it on, and I’ll lead ya.” He held the blindfold out to Illinois.

“...okay.” Illinois took the blindfold and tied it around his eyes, immediately hating the lack of sight. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s just me. Now just do what I say, it’s a bit trickier since we’re in daylight, but it’ll still work.”

Yancy gave instruction after instruction, and Illinois followed them exactly, feeling like he was performing some oddly choreographed danced. It went on for a little bit before he felt the hand on his shoulder leave him.

“Alright, youse can take it off now.”

Illinois pulled off the blindfold, seeing that he was outside of the gate, with Yancy staring at him from inside. They were facing a grassy area with some trees, with no cameras in sight. A blind spot it would seem. It appeared they were already away from the entrance of the building as well, so Illinois would just have to keep walking forward to get out.

A smile broke across Illinois’s face. “I- thank you, thank you so much.”

Yancy shrugged. “It wasn’t a problem. Just get somewhere safe, alright?” He sighed, leaning back on his feet. “I’ll punch that asshole when he comes by later tonight.”

Illinois chuckled. “I would just stay away from him if I were you. I’d love to see you knock him on his ass though.”

_“I would love to see him try.”_

Illinois stiffened, his smile completely dropping as he turned around.

Actor walked out from behind a nearby tree, glancing at a watch on his wrist. “Only took a few hours, wonderful timing by the way, my migraines are only just now starting to break through my head.”

Illinois’s eyes widened. He tried to make a run for it, but he only got a few steps in before pain rocketed throughout his skull. Within moments he was on his knees, hands tugging at his own hair as he felt the pain grow.

“Leave him alone!” Yancy’s voice brought some of Illinois’s attention, and he looked back to see Yancy now outside of the gate, standing in between him and Actor.

“Or what? You’re going to hit me-”

Actor didn’t get a chance to finish before Yancy’s fist collided with his face.

He took a step back, hand going up to his nose. Yancy had his fists up, ready to strike again.

“My, you hit harder than Illinois, that’s for sure.” Actor smiled, blood starting to drip down his nose.

Yancy didn’t say anything, still standing in between Illinois and Actor.

“Oh, this is adorable. You’ve known him for what, a day? Do you get attached to people that quickly?” Actor hummed as he tilted his head.

“Pathetic.”

Yancy cried out, hands clutching at his chest as he stumbled. He looked in pain, and Illinois thought back to the temple, when he had suffered for the first time as well.

Actor walked forward, and Yancy fell to his knees. He was scratching at his own chest, like he was trying to dig into his skin.

“I can make it stop.” Actor cooed, leaning down. “Just tell me-“

“Fuck off!” Yancy snarled.

Illinois shifted, still in pain himself. He opened his mouth to try and say something, but another wave hit him hard. Instead of speaking, he whimpered.

Yancy looked back at Illinois, concern in his eyes for the other. Despite what he was going through, he was still trying to make sure Illinois was alright.

It was then that Illinois realized Actor was watching them.

And he was smiling.

Yancy suddenly gasped, leaning back. He had stopped scratching his skin. It looked like the pain was over for him. He turned to Actor as he shakily started pushing himself to stand up, getting back into a fighting stance.

Actor’s eyes drifted down to meet Illinois’s, and the adventurer realized there was more.

A sharp pain hit Illinois in the chest, stabbing into his lungs. He coughed, hacking up blood.

Yancy turned around. “Shit!” He kneeled in front of Illinois, placing his hands on the other’s shoulders. “Hey! Lean forward, don’t swallow any of that shit back down.“ He looked back at Actor. “Stop!“

Actor’s eyes flashed black, and Yancy froze.

“What-“

Another sharp pain, this time to the gut. Illinois cried out as he vomited.

All of it was red.

_He was so tired._

“Fuck!” Yancy was panicked. He tried to keep Illinois from falling over. “Guards! Someone!”

“They’re not going to hear you, at least, the ones that _would_ come to help aren’t going to hear you.” Actor took a step forward.

Yancy glared at him. “Youse is sick!”

“No, but he is. He’ll probably die out here if I keep this up. I would be willing to stop however, if you did something for me.”

_No_. Illinois coughed, shaking his head.

Yancy narrowed his eyes, aiming all of his hatred at Actor. “Fuck off.”

Actor tsked. “I guess he’ll unfortunately have to die then. How sad, I was beginning to grow fond of him.” He smiled, eyes turning black and _staying_ black.

Illinois shrieked, causing Yancy to snap his attention back towards him. It felt as if he was being stabbed over and over again. Blood ran down his mouth and nose, and he found himself unable to breathe.

_Tired_.

_He felt tired._

Illinois closed his eyes.

“Fine! Just stop it!” Yancy squeezed Illinois’s arms, waking the other up just in time to see Actor standing far closer to the two than before.

The smile that creeped across Actor’s face was unsettling.

“Tell me you’ll play your part.”

_No_.

Yancy glared at Actor. “I’ll play my part.”

Actor laughed, and Yancy immediately let go of Illinois, crying out as he clutched his own head. Illinois gasped as the pain abruptly stopped for himself, but he still felt the effects of the blood loss. He swayed, unstable without Yancy’s support.

“Oh dear, Illinois you don’t look so well. All that blood loss from yesterday and today... we really must get you home. Yancy, would you be a dear and carry Illinois to the limo? It’s right around the corner.”

Illinois blinked in confusion as he felt himself get lifted into Yancy’s arms. He looked up, eyes widening in terror as he saw the blank stare on Yancy’s face.

He was completely under the Actor’s control.

Actor lead them towards the limousine, which was parked not too far from where they were. He opened the door to the passenger side, gesturing for them to go in. Yancy placed Illinois inside, sitting down besides him. Actor climbed in after them, shutting the door and sitting in the seat on the opposite side of the limo. He tapped the window, and the car started to move.

“Honestly Illinois you did so well. I would’ve just gone and taken Yancy myself, but he’s a bit stubborn. I thought I would try anyway, but you see, no matter what I could have done to him, he would have never said yes. He simply doesn’t care enough about himself to fight that hard to live.”

Illinois glanced over at Yancy, who still had the same blank stare as before.

“Now, when it comes to other people, Yancy here is such a sweetheart. He couldn’t bare to see you get hurt, and he hardly knows you.” Actor sighed. “A weakness, truly, but in this case it was helpful to us.” He hummed, glancing out the window for a few moments before letting his eyes drift to Illinois.

“Thank you Illinois, I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Illinois scrunched his eyes shut, shaking as he hunched in on himself. He closed his eyes, still feeling utterly exhausted.

_“I’m sorry.”_ He leaned against Yancy, hating the Actor, hating _himself_.

Yancy said nothing, still trapped in an emotionless state as the car drove on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the collection grows.


	5. The Addition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yancy and Illinois arrive at the Manor. Google and Dark make it to the prison.

“Dark, you haven’t said a word since we arrived.”

Google turned his head as he spoke, eyes scanning Dark’s form curiously. The other ego was sitting upright in his chair, massaging his temples .

“I’m trying to focus on keeping myself in control.” Just as he spoke, the blue in his aura jumped out, only to be tightly reigned in a moment later.

“Well, I disabled the cameras in this room, so you should be able to let yourself relax for a moment while we wait for them to bring Yancy.”

They were currently at Happy Trails Penitentiary, sitting inside of a room reserved for private visits. Originally the visit was set for the next day, but Dark had become increasingly paranoid after he was unable to find Illinois, and had made Google move the date. It appeared that the earlier arrival had done little to nothing to calm Dark’s worries, evident in his increasingly disruptive aura.

“I don’t know how easily I’ll be able to reign my aura in once I let it out. I’ll relax after we get Yancy and leave.” A small echo accompanied his words, causing him to furrow his brow in annoyance. Taking a deep breath, Dark forced down the ringing that had started to grow in volume. He would have a massive headache to deal with, but he needed to appear at least somewhat human to the people at the prison. Making his skin tanned instead of grey wasn’t going to be enough.

“Someone’s coming.” Google whispered, eyes darting to the door. Dark straightened himself up, refusing to let a single bit of red or blue jump out.

The door to the room opened, and the same guard who had shown them to the room walked in, a tiny slip of paper in hand. He shut the door behind himself.

Google narrowed his eyes. “Is Yancy unavailable at the moment?” Something wasn’t right.

The guard held the slip of paper out to Dark, completely ignoring Google. Dark glared before taking the slip of paper and looking at it.

There was a moment of silence.

“Google, how soundproof is this room?” Dark’s voice echoed, and the guard’s eyes widened.

“Relatively well, I imagine someone would have to be right outside the door to hear.”

“Access the hall cameras and tell me when someone is coming near. I need to get some answers.” Dark slammed the paper on the table as his aura exploded in red and blue, distressed and angry faces appearing in the colors. The guard tried to head to the door, but Dark was there within seconds, the grey tint to his skin having returned.

“Tell me what I want to know.” Dark slammed the guard against the wall.

Google whirred, taking a moment to grab the discarded slip of paper. His eyes flashed blue as he read.

_You’re getting slow, Damien._

_Don’t worry._

_I’ll take good care of them._

—————————

Yancy needed to move.

Tap his toes, wiggle his fingers- _something_. Being frozen like this was horrifying. He couldn’t even say anything about it. He was forced to stare dead ahead at the man- the _thing_ that did this to him.

Even as the Actor, or so he kept referring to himself as, watched Yancy, he had a small, knowing grin on his face, like he knew exactly what the other was thinking.

Yancy wouldn’t be surprised if he did.

There was movement against Yancy’s side, and he wished once again that he could move his own eyes. Illinois had been leaning against him for most of the ride, completely exhausted from blood loss. At some point it felt like his breathing had gotten more steady. Yancy had assumed that meant that the other was asleep, but he hadn’t been able to really check for sure.

“You know, you’re kind of like a doll in this state. Staring at nothing, almost completely motionless. If it wasn’t for the fact I could see your chest moving just that little bit up and down, I would think you weren’t breathing.” Actor chuckled, tilting his head. “Hm, I assume you want to have some control over your body again?”

_Of fucking course I do._

“Well, we’re almost home. I can give you back control early, but you need to listen. Any punches thrown at me won’t end well for you.” His gaze drifted to Illinois. “Or for him.” He smiled before looking back at Yancy. “I think you understand me, yes?”

“...”

“Oh right! Haha!” Actor laughed as his eyes flashed black. Yancy felt the control return to him, and immediately slouched forward, his back already aching from the perfect posture he had been forced into for the majority of the ride. He then looked to Illinois, sighing when he saw that he was sleeping, just as he had suspected.

Although, he didn’t know if Illinois really should be sleeping. _What if he didn’t-_

“We... we should go to a hospital.” Yancy looked to Actor. “He lost all that blood and-“

“He’ll be fine! Oh believe me I know how much blood he would have to lose for it to become dangerous. All he needs is some food and rest.”

Yancy shifted, glancing down at Illinois again.

“Don’t worry about him. Really. I would never hurt him beyond what I can heal!” Actor glanced out the window.

_Beyond what he could heal, huh._ Yancy didn’t trust the Actor for a second, but that part seemed somewhat like a genuine promise. At least, it seemed like a promise not to kill them. The Actor still wanted them around, and it wasn’t like he could bring them back from the dead-

“We’re here!” Actor cheered as the limo pulled into an open set of gates, heading up a driveway. Yancy stared out the window with wide eyes as they neared the large Manor. It looked rundown, with vines crawling up the outer walls, and cracks in the glass still left on the windows. It was impressive that it was even still standing.

The limo stopped in front of the steps. Actor glanced at Illinois. “Looks like we’ll have to wake him up.”

Yancy nodded before gently shaking Illinois’s shoulder. “Hey.”

Illinois scrunched his eyes a little and made no move to get up, seemingly fighting for a couple extra minutes of sleep.

“Well that won’t do.” Actor hummed, his eyes turning black again.

“Don’t-“

_“Hush.”_

Yancy’s jaw clenched tightly shut, and he found to his horror that he couldn’t open it back up. He glanced down at Illinois just in time to see the other’s face contort in pain.

Illinois’s eyes snapped open as he coughed, hands shakily clutching at his throat.

“Ah! You’re awake now. Good.” Actor’s eyes returned to normal, and Illinois slowly stopped coughing, although he did rub at his throat. Yancy narrowed his eyes at the Actor as he felt control return to his body, although he didn’t say anything.

“Let’s head inside.” Actor hummed as the passenger side doors opened. Yancy almost decided to run.

Almost.

Instead, he calmly stepped out of the limo, helping Illinois get out without stumbling too much. “Thanks...” Illinois’s voice was rough as he spoke, and he refused to really look Yancy in the eyes. He looked so... _guilty_.

Finally, Actor stepped out of the car. He waved off the driver, who closed the passenger doors and started to walk back around to the front of the car.

“Home sweet home!” Actor beamed as he looked at Illinois and Yancy. “Come, let’s go inside.” He led the way up the steps, glancing back to make sure the other two were following.

Illinois still didn’t look up, but he silently followed. Yancy did as well, but he made sure to take his time up the steps, enjoying the outside air. As terrible as everything was, there was a weird, nice feeling to being outside of the prison.

He was still absolutely terrified, and would honestly give anything to be back in the familiarity of his cell, but it felt somewhat nice.

Once the trio made it up the steps, Actor opened the front door, gesturing for the others to enter.

Illinois walked in, eyes glued to the floor. Yancy followed right after, grimacing as he noticed the mold crawling up the walls.

Actor groaned before slamming the door. “No need to be so dramatic, I wasn’t gone that long this time.” He tilted his head, and the mold receded.

“Thankfully we won’t have to worry about that happening for too much longer.” Actor hummed before turning to Illinois. “Oh, you still look so weak. You should really head to bed for now. I’ll give Yancy a little tour and bring some food to you later, alright?”

Illinois glanced back at Yancy for a moment. “I um, I’ll be okay for a bit.”

“No, no, no. You really should get some sleep. I insist.” Actor clasped his hands behind his back. “Now don’t make me bring you up there myself.”

Illinois gave Yancy an apologetic glance before turning and heading towards the staircase, presumably towards where the rooms were. Yancy watched as the other left, both happy that Illinois got to rest for a minute, and horrified at the fact that he was now alone with Actor.

“Well! On with the tour!” Actor chuckled before continuing into the house. Yancy hesitantly followed.

“You’re going to love it here, trust me.”

\---------------------------------------------------

Google narrowed his eyes as he stared at the holographic screen in front of himself. “They should be arriving any minute now.”

“Good.” Dark shifted on his feet, brushing some hair out of his face. “Thank you for taking care of the mess back there.”

“Getting caught doesn’t exactly help us. I’m…concerned. Usually you are the one trying to keep me from taking it too far.” Google glanced at Dark out of the corner of his eye.

“I assure you I won’t let it happen again.” Dark hummed. “Looks like they’re here.”

Google took away the holographic screen just in time to see a large ship come into view. It came closer to the shore just as an anchor was thrown overboard. It gradually stopped mere yards from the shoreline.

“Seems a little close,” Google remarked.

Dark opened his mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by a booming voice coming from the ship.

“I said to throw out the anchor _earlier!_ Ye trying to destroy the bottom of me ship!?”

Shouts came from all over the ship before a large man jumped off, landing on the beach. After the sand cleared, the two egos could see the man more clearly.

He was taller than any other ego they’d ever seen, with a long beard, and what looked like two logs for feet.

“This island shouldn’t have people on it.” The man took out a sword and pointed it at Dark. “How did ye find out about this place?”

Dark sighed. “Captain Magnum?”

The Captain narrowed his eyes.

“We need to discuss something important with you.” He nodded to Google.

Google’s holographic screen popped up again, displaying various videos containing Captain Magnum.

The Captain’s eyes widened as he lowered his sword. “What is this?”

Dark stepped forward. “That’s A Heist With Markiplier. That’s where you came from.” He smiled softly upon seeing the same confused look on the Captain’s face he had seen on numerous egos before. “You may want to sit down for this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it mr big man himself


End file.
